Hospitals implement safety measures to prevent spread of H1N1

Visiting a loved one in the hospital? Hospitals, including those in Northern Michigan, are implementing safety measures and restrictions in the hopes of limiting the spread of H1N1.

Caron Withers, infection prevention coordinator with Charlevoix Area Hospital, said the hospital has posted signs at the doors asking people to wear a mask if they have fever and a cough.

"We are trying to get a mask on people as soon as they walk through the door so they don't expose other people," she said.

Withers said the hospital has seen a lot of activity in the emergency department - mostly school children.

"We are really focusing on the sick people coming in - to have them seen in the emergency room and not expose other people while waiting," she said.

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The hospital has a respiratory hygiene cough etiquette in its waiting areas, with signs posted reminding people to cover their coughs, wash their hands and wear masks. Withers said the effort is an educational program for the public that was instituted with the SARS epidemic to limit the spread of respiratory illnesses.

While there are no formal restrictions for visitors at the hospital at the moment, Withers said the hospital asks people not to visit if they are ill.

"That's a routine thing we do, however, we are not limiting the number of visitors or restricting visits by children at this point," she said.

Patricia E. Dallaire, an infection prevention nurse with Northern Michigan Regional Hospital in Petoskey, said the hospital has measures to limit visitors as the situation develops.

"We do not allow people to visit who are ill and we ask the public to please wait to visit your family until you are feeling better past 24 hours of a febrile illness without taking fever reducing medication," she said.

The hospital is educating colleagues, visitors and patients to cover their cough and use good hand washing measures to prevent the spread of influenza and other respiratory illnesses, as well as providing masks to people at entrance points into the hospital to help contain coughs.

"But we emphasize that if you have a fever or are feeling ill, please do not visit," Dallaire said.

Dallaire said the hospital is seeing an increased amount of respiratory illnesses in the emergency department but most of these are not admitted to the hospital and are from various age groups. She added that there has not been the volume of cases as seen in other areas of the country.

"We do not screen people for H1N1 unless the physician feels they need this information to direct treatment and care," she said. "We will not be sending any confirmatory specimens out to identify exactly which type of influenza a person has unless certain criteria are met which are set forth by the state health department."